Ross Pitching Well in Round Rock

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The 2014 season has gone similarly for Robbie Ross Jr. as it has for pretty much the entire Texas Rangers team in that it's been an utter disaster.

Ross was put into the starting rotation in spring training and got off to a fairly decent start before his wheels came flying off in fiery fashion. He was then moved back to the bullpen before being sent down to Triple-A Round Rock after he just forgot how to get hitters out.

In all, he was 2-4 with a 5.61 ERA in nine starts and nine relief appearances, but since his demotion to Round Rock, he's started to seemingly figure things out.

He's still working as a starter in Round Rock, which doesn't mean a lot, but he's gone 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA in his last three starts, and he's reportedly started to regain his confidence from when he was one of the league's best middle-inning lefty relievers in 2012 and 2013.

"Robbie is starting to find his command of his fastball, and getting his life [on the pitch] back," said Danny Clark, Rangers Minor League pitching coordinator, to MLB.com. "His slider is starting to show better tilt. His confidence level is starting to come."

Ross could soon be back in Arlington not only because he's pitching better, but also because it seems to be a near-certainty that left-handed reliever Neal Cotts will join Jason Frasor and Joakim Soria as Rangers relievers to be traded prior to Thursday's MLB trade deadline. If Cotts goes, it would leave only recent call-up Ryan Feierabend as lefties in the Rangers' bullpen, and Ross would be a nice addition there.